Opinion

Dr Liam O'Driscoll highlights the need for EU-wide reform following a CJEU ruling on an Irish case concerning the compensation of victims of crime for pain and suffering. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), on 2 October 2025, issued a judgment concerning the scope of Member States&rsq

UK withdrawal from the ECHR would tear up the legal underpinning of the Good Friday Agreement, writes former British civil servant and diplomat George Fergusson. The Conservatives’ formal support for withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) leaves both our right-of-centre

Dr Eoin O'Dell reminds Senator Michael McDowell, following his rebuke of social media platforms for online defamation, that he still has an opportunity to do something about it. Last week, in his column in The Irish Times, Michael McDowell took social media platforms to task for shirking their respo

Brónagh Maher of Matheson considers the EU-US ESG regulatory debate and the implications for EU competitiveness. The pace of change with regard to attitudes, laws and regulations on climate change matters in the 10 years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015 has been head-spinning

Professor Kevin Brown of Queen's University Belfast weighs up competing proposals for reform of sentencing in Northern Ireland. Before the summer recess, MLAs debated a motion on improving sentencing practice that called for a public consultation on creating a Sentencing Council.

Tom O'Malley SC appeals for brevity in Irish court judgments. The Great Gatsby is one of my favourite novels and I have recently read it for (probably) the third time. What makes it great is not just the story it tells and the way in which Scott Fitzgerald uses that story to expose the emptiness and

RDJ LLP partner Jennifer Cashman warns Irish businesses of the legal risks associated with reversing course on diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI). From progress to pullbacks, US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on diversity, equality and inclusion programmes is being felt internationall

Mason Hayes & Curran lawyers Gerard Kelly and John Milligan review an IP dispute between competitor radio stations in the High Court. The Irish High Court has recently granted an interim injunction against Bauer Audio Ireland. The injunction restrains Bauer Audio Ireland from using the brand nam

McCann FitzGerald partner Shane Fahy and knowledge lawyer Laura Farrell review a proposed ban on upward-only rent reviews in England and Wales. The UK has introduced a bill which will see a ban on upward-only rent review clauses in new commercial leases in England and Wales.

Carson McDowell solicitor Sophie Hunter examines an English court decision with implications for the accommodation of asylum seekers across the UK, including in Northern Ireland. Epping Forest District Council have secured an interim injunction requiring the owners of the Bell Hotel to stop using, o

Scotland is set to be the first jurisdiction in the UK to legislate against unqualified cosmetic practitioners, write Duncan Batchelor and Claire Raftery. In May, the Scottish Government announced plans to introduce a non-surgical cosmetic procedures bill during the current session of the Scottish P

Kennedys lawyers Gearóid Corrigan and Sinead Reilly explore a recent decision of the Supreme Court in relation to a data breach claim for distress and anxiety. Do claims for distress and anxiety resulting from a data breach require authorisation from the Injuries Resolution Board? Ireland&rsq

Dr Orla Kelleher of Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology calls on Ireland to show greater leadership and ambition on climate action. We now have daily reminders of devastating climate impacts at current levels of temperature increase, which is already approximately 1.2°C above pre-i

As a summer of horrors unfolds in Gaza, the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (Mark Stephens CBE, IBAHRI co-chair, Hina Jilani, IBAHRI co-chair and Baroness Helena Kennedy LT KC, IBAHRI director) asks the international community: if not now, when will it be time to act? Death, s

Anthony Fay considers how Big Tech companies like Meta could collide with Irish and EU law as they try to tackle sector-wide challenges. The first half of 2025 has been turbulent for the tech sector — marked by fines from the Irish Data Protection Commission, staffing recalibrations after pand